


That's No Woman, That's My Boyfriend!

by Halunygin



Series: Pride Anthology [9]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Humor, Marauders' Era, Romance, Sweet, Transgender, jily
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-29
Updated: 2017-09-29
Packaged: 2019-04-18 22:21:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14223036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Halunygin/pseuds/Halunygin
Summary: Luke is worried about telling James he's transgender.





	That's No Woman, That's My Boyfriend!

"It's actually lucky that we're graduating in a month," Remus said brightly. The redhead sitting on the bed across from him scoffed.

Alice put an arm around their shoulders and added, "Really, it is. You can put up staying in our dorm until then, right? Only problem I see is getting McGonagall to say the right name when she calls you."

"That's the only problem you see?" the redhead inquired in a voice dripping with sarcasm. "Nothing else?"

Remus sighed. "Li-"

Alice cleared her throat, and Remus corrected himself hastily.

"Sorry.  _Luke_ , you have to tell him eventually, he's your boyfriend."

"Yeah, that'll go over well. 'Hey, James, I'm a boy, always have been. Yeah, so I'm going to need you to refer to me as such, that good?'" Luke flopped backwards and groaned. "Pass."

"Well, it might take a bit of time, but he'll come to terms with who you are," Alice said placatingly. "I did."

"Well, you're an absolute goddess and I don't deserve you," Luke countered, resting his chin on her shoulder.

Remus pouted. "What about me?"

"You can't even get pronouns right half the time, Remus. I'm so above you," Alice scoffed, and Luke snorted.

"Don't listen to her, you're trying, which is more than I can say for my parents." He looked down and sighed. "They think this is just a weird hippie phase."

Remus got up and sat down on Luke's right. "They'll come around too, and if they don't, you've got us."

Luke smiled weakly. "I know, and I do want to tell James, but I don't know if I can take any more rejection."

Remus shook his head. "We've known James personally longer than you have, believe me, this will not change a thing."

Luke opened his mouth to say something along the lines of 'but you don't know that for sure', when the door to the dorm opened and James stepped through. He paused at the sight of the three of them sitting in a row on his bed.

"What's going on here?"

"The beginning of the best four-way you'll ever have," Alice replied with a straight face. Luke burst into laughter, and Remus pinched the bridge of his nose and struggled to suppress a smile.

James laughed. "Does Frank know?"

"Darling, it was Frank's idea."

Remus cut in. "Alice, isn't there somewhere we need to be?"

He inclined his head toward Luke. Alice nodded and stood up.

"Oh yeah, Remus is super excited for the three-way we're having before the four-way."

Remus just shoved the girl out of the room, his groans still audible even after the door shut.

James threw set his bag down and plopped down next to Luke. "What was that all about?"

Luke shrugged. "It's Alice, are you really surprised?"

"Not at all. So what's up?"

Luke gulped. "Nothing, nothing at all."

James cocked his head and gave Luke that look he reserved for when Remus swore he remembered to eat lunch or when Sirius insisted he didn't set off fireworks in the staff room.

"Lily, you've been acting squirrely for a few weeks now. And you cut your hair, it's never been that short before, at least not while I've known you."

Luke winced. Of course James had noticed something was going on, and like the wonderful boyfriend he was, he hadn't pushed Luke to divulge anything.

"Not that there's anything wrong with that," James added hastily, taking Luke's silence and grimace to be directed at him. "I like your hair like this too, it's just really sudden, and it's not like you to make rash decisions."

Luke inhaled and exhaled slowly. "Yes, there is something, and I've been struggling to figure out how to say it."

James inclined himself to face Luke and grabbed his hand.

"No matter what it is, I'll be here for you."

Now Luke really felt like crying. He coughed.

"Okay. So, do you know what the term transgender means?"

James furrowed his brow. "No, is it a muggle thing?"

Luke shrugged. "Yeah, kind of, I've never heard of a magical person who was trans. Anyway, it's a person who identifies with the gender they weren't born as."

"Er, so a boy who wants to be a girl?"

"Yeah, and vice versa," Luke replied. "They feel like they were born in the wrong body, so they change things, like their hair and their clothes. And if they think their name doesn't fit their gender right, they can change that too."

Luke winced at the growing comprehension on his boyfriend's face. Well, it can't hurt to say it out loud now.

"I'm trans, James."

James nodded slowly, but did not say anything. Luke felt nauseous, what if they really did break up? He recalled the old days in which he would never have imagined dating James Potter, the most annoying toe rag, let alone being anything but relieved at breaking up. He didn't realize he was crying until James took a hand across his cheek.

"Oh, Lils, don't, it's okay."

Luke shook his head. "No, it's not. I don't want to break up."

James widened his eyes at the redhead rubbing his eyes furiously. "Well, neither do I. Why the hell would we?"

Luke blinked red eyes at him. "Because you don't want to date a boy."

"But I want to date  _you_ ," James said softly. "You're a boy? So what? You're still Evans, my favorite person to snog."

Luke snorted despite himself. "You're really okay with this?"

"If you woke up and wanted to be a penguin, I'd be okay, Lily," James grinned, and then frowned. "Wait, Lily is a feminine name, do you want to change it? I'm pretty sure there's a book in the library with baby names and etymologies, so you could see what you want your new name - mmph!"

Luke grinned against James's lips. "Thank you, James, you have no idea how much that means to me."

"I have a pretty good idea," James quipped, kissing the tip of his nose.

"I already have a new name," Luke continued. "Sort of, I don't know if Alice saying 'Luke sounds like the right name for a redhead of your caliber' counts, but I did feel more normal after she and Remus called me that a few times."

"Luke," James repeated, testing it out, and he smiled. "You know, it does suit you. Wait, you told them before me?" he pouted comically.

"I was worried, James," Luke said, tugging at a piece of his hair. "It's not like we've been dating that long, and I didn't think you'd understand. I just wanted to delay the inevitable, because I love you too much to let go of you that easily."

James smirked, and Luke's eyes widened as he processed what he had just said.

"Er, you know I just meant-"

"You love me," James grinned. "Well, how the tables have turned."

"Shut up, Potter," Luke scowled. James planted a smacking kiss on his cheek and wrapped him in a tight hug.

"I love you too, Mr. Luke Evans," he whispered in Luke's ear, sending a shiver down his spine. "And I always will."


End file.
